Speech Science VIII
The articulation behind the acoustics
Version WS 2007-8
Topics
• How do we create the resonating cavities?• Anatomy physiology of articulation• Systematic categorization of (German) sounds.
• Reading: BHR, Chap. 5 or 6 (artic. Parts)Kent, Chap. 5, especially pp. 171-
194 P.-M. 1.4, pp. 43-59
Vowels vs. consonants• Vowels have to form the vocal tract into a tube with
one ()or two (most other vowels)main cavities.For this the tongue dorsum (which comprises the mass of the tongue) is moved up and down, backwards & forwards,
• Consonants have to form an obstruction to the airflow.For this any constrictable part of the vocal tract is used: the lips, tongue tip & blade, tongue dorsum, tongue root, vocal folds
Tongue shapes for vowels (a reminder)
N.B., the tongue tip never protrudes – andyou can feel that it is behind the bottomincisors
Traditionaldescription
Acousticallyimportant
How does the tongue change
shape?Kinn-Zungenmuskel
Längsmuskel
Quermuskel
The tongue consistsof muscle fibres.Tensed musclesget shorter andthicker.These muscles change the Formof the tongue.PARTS of the muscles can be tensed too.
Senkrechtmuskel
How the tongue changes position
Schädelbasis-Zungenmuskel
Zungenbein-Zungen-M.
Unterkiefer
Gaumen-Zungen-M.
Oberer Längs-M. (Shape and position)
Unterer Längs-M.
Kinn-Zungen-M. (Shape and position)
Important muscles for corner vowels 1
The back part of the genioglossuscontracts to pulls the mass of the tongue forward.Probably, the inferior longitu- dinal muscle and possibly the front part of the genioglossus pulls the tip back, allowing the front part of the dorsum to bulge upwards (to form the convex shape typical for vowels).
Important muscles for corner vowels 2
The hyoglossus pulls the mass of the tongue down to the floorof the mouth..Both longitudinal muscles andthe back part of the genioglossus need to be relaxed to allow the mass of the tongue body to bulge backwards into the pharynx.Possibly the verticalis musclehelps to keep the dorsum flat inthe mouth.
Important muscles for corner vowels 3 The styloglossus
pulls the mass of the tongue upwards and backwards
The front part of the genioglossus muscle and possibly also the longitudinalishelp to pull the tongue tip back
Possibly the palatoglossusmuscle helps to raise the back part of the dorsum towards the velum.
But the lips also determine
the acoustics
Lifting muscles
Lowering muscles
„round the mouth“ muscle
The “O.O.” muscle isresponsible for lip-rounding
Some more detail?
German vowel qualities and symbols
()
pure vowels
diphthongs
Now for the consonants
• Where and what are the “obstructions” to the airflow?
• They can occur throughout the vocal tract.
• They can be of very different kinds• The tongue and lips are important (see vowels)
but the velum also plays an imprtant role
Articulators & places of articulation
The places of articulationare at the top and the articulators (movable)are at the bottom
The most frequent terms for places of articulation are marked. The articulators are notoften specified (exceptfor “labio-”)
A mid-sagittal cross-section
Places of articulation
Articulators blade tip
front back
Articulators & consonants
• To form the constrictions for consonants, articulators have to be raised to a place of articulation:
The jaw is (surprisingly) NOT the main factor which determines the proximity of the articulators (observe jaw during the closure for and
Consider what muscles move ....the lips togetherthe tongue tip to the alveolar ridgethe tongue dorsum to the palate
Controlling the velum
(Palate lifter)(uvula muscle)(Palate tensor)(palate-tongue muscle)(palate-pharynx muscle)
The pharynx complex
Gaumensenkerpalatoglossus
palatopharyngeus
Gaumenspannung
Gaumenheber
m. uvulae
levator palatini
tensor palatini
raised velum lowered velum
airstream
Oral and nasal sounds
[d](oral) [n](nasal)
Constriction
affricate = sequence of plosive+fricative trill: vibrating articulator
complete closure,no acoustic energy
plosive
complete
approximant
slight
turbulent airflow
narrow
fricative
no turbulence
k x velarvelumback tongue dorsum
uvularuvula
h glottalvocal folds
j palatalhard palatefront tongue dorsum
post-alveolar
posterior part of alv. ridge
tongue blade (laminal)
t d s z n l ƒ alveolaralveolar ridgetongue tip (apical)
f v labiodentalupper incisorslower lip
p b m ƒbilabialupper and lower lip
passiveactive
IPA symbolplace-nameArticulator
Place of articulation (German)
plosive
ƒƒ affricate
f v s z h fricative
j approximant or vowel glide
r oder R trill
closure m n nasal
oral
central
orallateral
nasal
approximant l lateral
Manner of articulation (German)
del. rel.
narrow constr.
approximant
closure
trill
IPA-Symbols Sound category Laterality Nasality Constriction
Manner of articulation
Summary
• We have seen how our articulators shape the articulatory configurations required for different sounds
• We have categorized the sounds (of German) according to place of articulation and according to manner of articulation
• We have seen the IPA symbols that are used to represent the sounds.